Pavel Durov, the founder of encrypted messaging app Telegram, has suggested an idea of a marketplace that could use "NFT-like smart contracts" to auction highly-sought after usernames. This suggestion comes after the "success" of domain name auctions by The Open Network (TON), a layer-1 blockchain designed by the Telegram team. He also noted that Telegram could be more successful if usernames, group, and channel links were reserved for auction.